As I’m writing this, it’s the morning of Thanksgiving here in Dresden, Germany…only it’s not. My neighbors are starting to walk to their cars and drive off to work. The city is waking up to another normal workday, and for all intents and purposes, so am I. Although if there’s one thing I’ve learned the past couple weeks, it’s that “normal” is quite the relative term.

It’s been 7 years that I’ve lived overseas in Germany. 7 years of learning another language. 7 years of trying to integrate into another culture and understanding the mindset of another people. It’s been challenging and fun, exhilarating and difficult all at the same time.